Steven Chamula Obituary

Hi Uncle Steve, I know you are watching over us all!! We really miss you this time of year, with Labor Day right around the corner. I especially remember the times we would go on long car rides. You and Auntie Suzie knew where we were going, at least we hoped so! We would look for deer, sometimes stop at a game farm that had wild animals, even a baby bear. We always ended up at an ice cream shop! Most of all the love you showed to us as kids and the love you should to our own kids. I love you and miss you, very much!!

Hey, all you angels up there in Heaven. Keep an eye on Steve for us, will ya? I know that noise I've been hearing lately isn't thunder, it all you guys laughing at Steve's stories and that lets me know he's doing OK up there. So, tell him there's a lot of people down here sending him our love and letting him know we miss him a whole bunch. Here's a bunch of (((((HUGS HUGS HUGS HUGS HUGS))))) for him.

Hey Dad,it's been a year now.I never realized how much I depended on you until this past year,and not just when I was in trouble!!! Advise,words of wisdom,and the occasional putz,and a good laugh have been sorely missed.So many times I wanted to pick up the phone and call just to say hey,or tell You I love You,and then I have to remind myself all I have to do is close my eyes and you are there with me.Other times I just look up to the Sky,I presume that is where Heaven is,and I talk to You...I know you Know all that is going on,But I still have the need to tell you anyway.Dad I Love You,and I Miss You

Grandpa I love you and I miss you

Steve we miss you. Sue we love you Memories have become treasures we shall never forget.

In memory of my Sweetie, My Soul Mate, My Life, My Love, I Will See You Again.

hi grandpa,
I miss you so much, I'm sure you know that because i know you are watching over me.I love all your advice. I was hoping you would stick around for a while 'til I got older and was able to under stand some of your advice but the advice I could understand was meaningful. my siblings and I are very lucky to have you for our grandpa. You always made me feel special. I love my nickname you gave me...Squeeky! every thing you've taught me I will always remember. I love you so much and I am always thinking of you
Love, Amber

To Grandpa,
I miss you. I miss your funny jokes. I miss your hugs and kisses. You made me laugh when you sang jingle bells. You are the Best Grandpa! And i can't wait to see you in heaven.
Love Kelly

Grandpa
I was never given a proper chance to truley get to know him. I was much to young to remember how he was before. I did get the chance to know him now.

It had been almost 10 years since I had talked to him but when I did I knew that I had missed out on an amazing person all those years. I remember crying that it had been so long. I told him how greatful I was to have that second chance to get to know him. I knew that no matter what after 10 years I wasn't going to have to wait that long to be able to pick up the phone just to say hi how you doing.

In getting to know him, I got to know his silly humor which he always made me laugh. I knew through all that he was going through that he was strong. His love for family was larger than anything in this world. I knew that he was a very real person that told you exactly how he felt. I also know that he is a great-grandpa. I wish that i would have had the chance to bring his great grandaughter Alizabeth Chamula to see him for the first time. Than again, I also know that he sees ger right know because he is still with us in our hearts watching over.

If I could say anything to him right now it would be this...

Dear Grandpa,
I don't regret a moment in passing. The times we spoke ment the world to me. Alizabeth has gotten so big now to. I wanted you to get the chance to hold her. I'm sorry for the time it took for us to reunite, but I'm not sorry i had the chance. Thank you for being you and not giving up the one last time. Because of you I was given that chance and I will always love you and cherish all of the memories I have. I love you.
see you later some time in a better place,

love
Adam E. Chamula

What a beautiful way to remember Steve, with a photo album. Oh the memories those pictures brought back. God allowed us the priviledge of knowing him and I can't wait to see him again up there. I'll just bet he has everyone up there in tears with his wonderful stories. No wonder it thunders at the most odd times.

God Bless you Steve Chamula, and save me a seat real close to you my friend, I don't want to miss a word.

I love you is my lasting promise to you. Love is a word with many meanings. I say I love you to let you know you can count on me no matter what happens. I'll be there to hold you hand in hard times and calm you in distrss times. My love is unconditional and it will always be there, even when everything seems lost and there is no hope in sight. Just remember one thing "I love you and my love is genuine." These my love were my words to you on our 40th anniversary. You will forever be with me, in my heart, in my mind, and in my soul. You and I are one for all eternity.

My grandpa... there are to many amazing things to say. He was such an amazing man. There is one word you can truely use to discribe him... awesome. If you looked up awesome in the dictionary, you find only half of the discription of how amazing he was. That is the honest truth. If you ever met him, you learned something. You learned something because he was an outstanding teacher. He taught everyone somthing useful and alot of times, something funny. I loved learning from him. I loved it because he made it fun and memorable. He was a man of wisdom. His wisdom came from learning everyday. This was only made possible because when he taught his lessons he learned something from you. When he taught a handful of the kids, including me, how to shoot a bb gun one labor day, we all enjoyed it. We all had fun learning to do something... even though we sat through all the gun safety, we knew it would be worth it. That is only one of the millions and millions of memories I had with this amazing man. I remember everytime he would come over for coffee and a chat, the one story he told me; the one story that I realized, "wow, he made me who I am". One day out in Redgranite, the adults were playing BINGO. I was attached to my mom. I would not leave her and apparently I was getting annoying, so my grandpa ripped me away from her, (His own words) threw me on his shoulders, and took a few of the other kids and myself on a walk. I remember picking berries and watching animals like deer ond even a few snakes. I remember bonding. Bonding with one person. My grandpa a.k.a. the amazing man. We started a bond that lasted a lifetime that day. He always told me at the end of that story how bad he felt: not for taking me from my mom though. It was because I was full of mosquito bites. Those are the things I am going to miss more than anything. It was his amazing way of telling stories. It was his way of teaching without boring you;it was his way of giving you a piece of him everytime you saw him. The memories just the two of us, my grandpa and I, had together are, and will always be, priceless. He taught me how to be me. I know that may sound funny but it is the truth. When he went to my brother's football games he would cheer, sometimes when the wind was right you could hear him from our house. Infact, when I went to one of his games my grandpa could not attend, I made a sign. An elder couple saw it and asked if I was the granddaughter to the man who always held his signs high and proud. I said well I would never have it any other way. (a.k.a. of course:)). He made us all laugh, and made us all cry, but that was usually because we were laughing so hard we went into tears and you usually ended up peeing your pants... or atleast that is what happened to me. He was a man of wisdom and a man of laughter. But most importantly, we all had the honor of knowing him, even if it was just for a minute you knew him bexause in that minutes time he probably would have showed you a picture of his pride and joy and would have made you laugh. Everyone adored him and if they didn't, it was because they envied him and because of how amazing he was. But most importantly he loved everyone and did everything for everyone. He was the kind of an who would give you the shirt off his back, the last penny in his pocket, and the last joke he knew if you needed it. I wish I could have one more day to spend with him to tell him how much he means to me. Now that I think about it, I may need alot more time than one day to tell him all of that, but i want one more day to hug him tight and to tell him how much I love him and one more laugh with him. If he couldn't make you smile on any day, you need to see a doctor because there is surly somehting wrong with you. I know for sure he is sharing all of his jokes to everyone in heaven right now. And I know his soul will live on forever in everyone he knew from know unil the end of time.
Love forever,
Krissi

When Steve was starting his cardio rehab he was feeling down and out...then we met up and had fun every session. Steve said he would never forget me......and that he did.
When I was laid up in the hospital after cancer.....this "crazy lovable guy" walked into my room with two ballons one pink and the other blue,
telling me he is the God father. Well
that was Steve always a joke loving
happy person. The many times we
would talk on the phone he mentioned how he was always looking forward to seeing his "sweetie" (Sue). Steve really loved his darling wife. I will miss Steve as the many others who shared in his company. God Bless you Steve . Though you were an Army vet....I say " Semper Fi " you're the best a person would like to know.

I will miss Uncle Steve. Words can't explain the loss I feel. I will always remember his gentle words of wisdom, his smile, his laughter, all his funny jokes and stories and most of all, the unconditional love he gave to all of us. Uncle Steve has touched my life in so many special ways, I feel so blessed to have had him in my life.
Love,
Patti

I remember Steve very fondly. I worked with him at Joanna Western Mills and he was a board member of our employee's Credit Union. Steve was a fun-loving guy who never let anything get him down. He could always turn adversity into an amusing anecdote. I remember listening to him tell about losing his job and how comical he made it sound. Someone else telling the exact same story would make it sound tragic, but not Steve. He really had a love for life and shared that love with all he met. I can't wait to meet him in Heaven so I can listen to his stories again.

God Bless you Steve Chamula and the next time I hear it thunder, it's probably you making everyone up there laugh themselves silly.

Love ya Steve.

My grandpa was the very BEST grandpa in the whole world. I don't care how many other people say that about their grandpas, because I will just know they are wrong. He ALWAYS made me feel important, and had potential to make something of myself. Even on my worst day, when it seemed as though I didn't have a friend in the world, and all of my flaws were amplified, I would remember, hey my grandpa loves me, and he is a REALLY cool guy. I can't believe all of the joy and love he radiated all of the time. If you were within one hundred yards of his deep chuckle and warming smile, the only thing to do was laugh along with him. On the day I graduated he gave me a bag of peanuts with a savings account booklet in it. It was the savings account I opened a few years ago with only $200. "Open it." He said with a twinkle in his eyes...nobody's eyes twinkled like his...as I flipped through the pages the numbers got bigger and bigger, and there at the end read $1000. My grandpa mowed lawns, worked long days cutting wooden soldiers to paint and sell, and saved every bit of change he got, just to put it in my savings account and give it to me on my special day. But he gave me something more than help with my college education, and chance to succeed. "You just remember save your little peanuts, and they add up." I now have an old jewelry box filled with change, and it's continuing to grow. Every time I put change in there I think about my grandpa. If I ever feel to small for something, or not good enough, I just think of my grandpa, and how much he loved me. I miss him. I miss his stories, his motivation, his smile, and his jokes. He was a special gift to everyone. Not only that, but a gift that keeps giving. He left us with his knowledge, and the drive to get things done, along with a reminder that NOTHING is to big to conquer, and HAVE FUN BEING WHO YOU ARE. He chose joy and love every day, and that's how he is remembered. I want to make my grandpa proud, and that is exactly what I am going to do. He let me know that WHO I AM makes him proud enough, and I NEVER had to work for his pride or love or acceptance. I want to love freely like him, and be a light of joy to others. That's just how he was with everyone. He loved you simply because you were you. If that's not enough to make you smile, you should hear him sing jingle bells.

Steve, I remember you well. The nights you and "young" Steve fishing down on Brandenburg Lake. I always marveled how you withstood those damn mosiquitos.
Time after time we would meet and you always had that smile in your eyes. Seeing you again was like we had just seen each other last week, but it had been years.
It's true, God only takes the best.

Uncle Steve was like a father to me. You could speak to him about anything and he always had wise words and a caring nature. My children have become very close and are sadden by the passing that he will not be there to teach how to shot a gun or take to horseback riding farm, that nobody else could find. I will always miss the car rides in WI on the rodes to show where animals were and other great locations. Then know how to get back home when I know I would be lost. I know you are not in pain any longer and now with God. I know you will be with us on Labor Day and I will always be thinking of you. My prayers are with you and your family. I love you and miss you. See you soon.

Steve,
I had known you just short of 20 years but felt like I had known you all my life. You took me in as family from day 1-blood or no blood. You reminded me to have patience and to take it easy in life-I don't always listen, but I am trying. All the kids loved you so much-you talked WITH them, not DOWN to them. I especially enjoy our love of fart humor. Rip a few good ones for me in heaven, the Lord has a sense of humor-why do you think he made our butt cheeks so tight? Finally, thank you for this advice that you always gave that I hope my son will remember, "We don't smoke and we don't chew and we don't go with girls who do"
Love,
Jerry

When I think of Steve, I especially remember....

The twinkle in his eyes whether telling a joke or humorous story.
His cheerful and optimistic view on life even thru hardships.
The sense of pride he expressed regarding his family, which was explicity shown in his stories.
Awesome sense of humor, unmatched by anyone I have ever known.
He was a remarkable person, who has left a wonderful impression on my life and I will miss him dearly.

We were introduced to Steve and Sue through my parents, who live across the street. Steve was so out going, you just liked him the moment you met him. He was funny, had many stories, and was very caring. He will be sadly missed by all who knew him. He always told me that he watched over my mother and I felt he was a blessing to her. Thank you Steve for being so kind, compassionate and caring. May you now have peace. Patty Mosier and Kathy Pettit.

steve- Im so sorry about
your father, I may have only
meet him once, But he
treated me as if he had
known me forever, Your dad
is in a better place now and
is looking down on you, He
is always with you to help
you in life, You to will see
eachother again, Be strong.

What started out as "Our Chicago Neighbors" soon turned into family. We've never met a man who had so much fun being himself. He took great pride in the achievements of his grandchildren, and the love he has for his wife. The subtle lessons he taught us will last forever in our hearts. We will remember Steve with a smile on our faces!
See you!

Uncle Steve Chamula,
Unfortunately during sad events it is clearly our human nature to explain reason and even blame to selfishly satisfy our own needs. My thoughts: Uncle Steve touched way too many hearts and funny bones during his existence on earth that it would truely be unfair to prolong his pain & suffering for others to benefit with his presence. Or, Heaven simply ran out of good humor (not ice cream). Selfishly I believed we had more time with Uncle Steve because Geoge Carlin had passed away last month. Uncle Steve now has George as his opening act & George doesn't swear anymore. Uncle Steve has proven that he is strong & even stronger than cancer once. His kind generous heart was not prepared for the work it would take to conquer cancer and hide his pain again. Travel times from Chicago to Redgranite, to Darien, to Byron, to Naperville, etc. are now conveniently reduced and he is listening whenever you need him, quicker than a cellphone. There is not enogh pages in this book to carry on, but my words and privelage to speak of Uncle Steve at his Mass are sincere and meaningful to me. Take care Schwartz.
I am proud to be your Nephew!

Love You,
Ron

Dear Dad,
As you told us when we were younger, you said, "never say goodbye", goodbye sounds like we will never see each other again. So, with that I will just say, I love you Dad, I miss you so so very much and I will SEE YOU AGAIN!
Love,
Debbie xoxo

Words cannot express the loss of such a great man. He touched the hearts of many. He was always kind and giving. He accepted me into his family like another daughter, and that I will never forget. I will also never forget all his words of wisdom for me, they really helped me understand and look at things in a different prospective. He was always there to lend a hand or a joke, and make everyone feel comfortable where ever he went. His love for his family was so great, just to hear him talk about his wife and kids and grandkids was awesome. You left your family a wonderful gift, the gift of having you in there lives. I can truly say he was a great man and touched everyone he met including my son and I. We will miss you and all your words of wisdom. If I could touch only one life like you touched so many, I will be lucky. Much love to your wonderful family. I love you and miss you.

i'am so sorry ,dad and family , i wish i had all the words to say , but i don't. i know god will hold you in his hands and heal you,but we suffer missing you.god will shine on us one day and can't wait till that time comes when we can see eachother again. dad may god hold you in the palm of his hands and keep you safe & look down upond us. you will be missed , i enjoy the time we did have together and the fun we had.. we will never forget you... may god bless you and your family.....with lot's of love tom & ida raia god bless you all... amen!!!

Although it has been a long time since I have seen Mr. Chamula he has always been in my heart. His daughter Debbie and I were best friends during high school, and the Chamula's house was my second home. I have many fond memories of going to the Chamula's house, and being treated like I was part of their family. I truely looked forward to spending time with this great guy who always made me feel like I was his daughter. Steve will always have a special place in my heart, and I am the fortunate one who was so lucky to know such a giving person. He had a positive effect on me during my teenage years and for that I am gratefull, and I will always have memories of the man who took an interest in one of his daughters friends, when he really did not have too. You will be missed but never forgoten, as long as we each have our own special memories or stories of something crazy or just plain silly.
Thank you Mr. Chamula you truely touched my life, and brought something special to it, and for that I will never forget you.

a good man taken from us all. may god bless you all!!! stay strong thats what he would want.
ALLWAYS FEEL HIS LOVE!!!

My dad, what can I tell you that you don't already know. He was a great dad, fun, loving, caring full of knowledge and wisdom. He was proud of all of us, even though we made mistakes. He always let me bend his ear when I was upset and he would give me some advice, crack a joke and make me feel better. He was a very strong man, he's been through so much. My brother said it best when he called him his invincible hero. I feel the same way. I will miss our Thursday morning coffee chats, I will just have to make the coffee and chat with him anyway. I love you dad and miss you so much.

Love, Denise

I have had the pleasure of knowing Steve for 28 years. He was always cracking jokes and making people laugh. His phiosophy was alway on target. He took much pride in his family. When there was a family gathering, my family was always welcomed by Steve I am glad my son had a few good learning experiences from Steve, that he will never forget, he was like a Grandfather to my son.....one he never had.

We are very sorry for your loss. We will miss Steve very much.

God Bless the family.

I am very sorry for your loss.
I knew Steve for 18 years and a wonderful man I must say. he will be
missed.

Take comfort in knowing that now you have a special guardian angel to watch over you.

My Dad was my Super Hero,Growing up with him was an adventure whenever we left the house.He always wanted his family to have fun.even going to a resturant for dinner we would end up laughing until we cried.He was a teacher and my best friendI can only hope to be half the man he was. when we hunted and fished together it was our time, as I got older we didn't get to do it as much ,but I always looked forward to next time.

Growing up he always made friends wherever we went,everyone loved him,and they never forgot him.His grandchildren adored him,he always made time for them.he made learning fun for them,he was always teaching them something.Each one of them he spent time individually and as groups.Personally I loved when I had him all to myself,so I can just imagine how the kids felt.

He was a man that always had a smile and a hand for everyone whether he knew you forever or met you for the first time.

I Love You Dad

I remember Steve as one of friendliest people I have ever met. It was there in his smile, the way he talked, and the way he would come up and renew a relationship even though many years may have past between. I enjoyed his company and his stories about hunting and fishing. Steve had a happiness and a soulfulness about him that was uniquely his own, and that came from the family and friends in his life. I will miss him, and I am sorry for those in his life for this loss. Robert Schmidt